1. Field of the Invention
This invention involves a pastry bag, as used to hold and apply decorative icings to cakes and other pastries, and, more particularly, a pastry bag which is capable of receiving various sizes and designs of decorating tips during use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Decorative icings long have been applied to cakes and other pastries through use of a pastry bag in the form of a flexible cone, filled with icing, and a hollow nozzle-like decorating tip which fits into and protrudes through an opening in the small end of the cone. However, since a variety of sizes and shapes of decorating tips may be used to vary the design of the icing applied, the practice of placing a selected decorating tip within the conventional pastry bag is generally unsatisfactory since the decorating tip may not be changed without first substantially emptying the pastry bag of icing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 299,228 partially solved this problem by providing a tubular socket installed within the pastry bag and extending outward therefrom, with a threaded collar engaging the socket and holding a flanged and conically tapering second socket between flanges of the tubular socket and collar, which second socket, in turn, holds the decorating tip.
Other more recent designs, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,523 utilize a conical shaped tubular element within the pastry bag having a threaded end extending from the bag, with the decorating tip supported by a coupler threaded to the tubular element. Various configurations of tubular elements and couplers allow interchangeability of the same-sized decorative tips of different icing design, and, with a second conical tubular element threadingly coupled to the first tubular element, it is possible for a second and smaller coupler to hold a smaller decorative tip.
However, the use of a plethora of tubular elements and couplers and their necessary cleaning and storage, combined with the increase in pressure necessary on the pastry bag to force the icing past the restrictive openings of the tubular elements and couplers, indicate the need for an improved pastry bag which does not utilize tubular elements and connectors, yet permits the simple and ready replacement of decorating tips of both various sizes and designs.